Leer feeder



'May 8, 1923.

B. H. PURCELL LEER FEEDER Filed Aug. 4

BENJAMIN E. IEU'ELCELI, 0F TERRE HAUTE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO AUTOMATIC EACHINERY COMPANY, OF TERRE HAUTE,v INDIANA, A CORPORATION F INDIANA.

LEER FEEDER.

Application led August 4, 1920. Serial N0. 401,225.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN H. PURCELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Terre Haute, in the county of Vigo and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Leer Feeder, of which the following is a specification.

In the use of a leer feeder of that type in which the ware is brought to the leer, by means of a constantly-moving belt, upon which the ware rests without obstruction, the ware is obstructed at the entrance side of the leer while the feed belt continues in its movement, the ware accumulatingl in successive Contact with each other, during a period sutcient to allow operation of the ejecting mechanism, the movement being in the line of movement of the leer belt or pans.

In such a construction, there is generally a greater massing of the ware at the far side of the leer than at the entry side, and diiiculty has heretofore been experienced by reason of unusual breakage of the ware at the throat or entry end of the leer, due to the fact that the massing of ware mentioned, requires, for a maximum packing of the leer, too great a lateral movement of the ware on the leer pans or belt.

The object of my present invention is, therefore, to provide means for compensating the massing of the ware referred to.

The accompanying drawlng is a` plan of a leer feeding apparatus embodying my invention.

In the drawing, indicates the receiving end of a leer or ordinary and desired form, in which a ware-receiving carrier 11 is arranged. At the mouth of the leer is arranged a constantly-moving carrier belt 12, upon which the ware 13 is brought to the receiving end of the leer from a distant point. Associated with the carrier 12 is a transversely moving pusher bar 14, which is intermittently reciprocated by any suitable mechanism, such, for instance, as links 15 bell crank levers 16, connecting rod 17, cam 18 and motor 19, this construction being a common one and embodying a cut-ofi' mechanism 20 which is intermittently projected across the carrier 12, in synchronism with the pusher bar 14, to intimately interrupt the flow of ware 13 to a position opposite the throat of the leer.

In apparatus of this kind, it has heretofore been common to project a dam or obstructor across the carrier 12 at the far side of the leer, substantially in line with the extreme edge of the leer carrier 11.

In my present invention, the dam 21 is arranged at some distance from the adjacent extreme. edge of the leer belt 11, this dis-- tance preferably being approximately equal to the distance which carrier 12 will travel during the time of a complete reciprocation of the pusher bar 14. At the inner end of dam 21, I arrange the inclined guide 22 which terminates in a linger 23 which is sub stantiallyparallel with the line of movement of carrier 11.

At the entry side of the leer, I arrange a guide 24 which, at its inner endbis outwardly inclined slightly, as indicated at 25.

In operation, the ware 13 is deposited upon carrier 12, or some feeding carrier which delivers to it, with a reasonable degree of regularity generally by the forming machines, but there is, nevertheless, a considerable variation in the spacing of the ware upon the carrier 12. J ust preceding the reciprocation of pusher bar 14, the cut oil 2O is projected over carried 12 so as to interrupt the How of the ware to a position opposite the mouth of the leer and the speed of the carrier 12 is so proportioned that when the cut off 20 interrupts the ilow of ware, the ware contained on the carrier 12 between the dam 21 and the cut off occupies. a' space on the conveyor substantially equal to the width of the receiving opening of the leer.

By this time, the foremost article of ware has reached, and been interrupted by, dam 21. This, of course, brings closely adjacent dam 21, all ware which accumulated against 'finger 2O during the preceding ejector operation. As the conveyor moves continuously when the cutoii'.' is projected into the path of the articles to stop them, the articles congest at this point and whenthey are released they remain in the congested condition and are therefore more or less piled up when they are stopped at the dam 21. The pusher bar 14 drives the articles 13 laterally from the belt 12 they being'guided in their movement by the dam 21, on to an inclined pan 30 which extends between the two guides 22 and 24, and leads at a slight angle downwardly to the leer carrier 11i',

the movement of the articles down the panv v being dependent upon the successive arrivals.'

of articles under the impulse of the pusher bar..

It will be apparent that the articles tend i to congregate upon the pan 30 in the most compact form, each succeeding article shoving its way into the mass, and that if no expansion room is left for the more congested articles at the far side of the leer, adjacent dam 2l, the entire mass of accumulated ware, laterally of the leer, must be displaced.

It is for the above reason that the divergent guide 22 is provided, and in practice I have found vthat by this simple arrangement, I have been able to entirely avoid a very considerable amount of breakage and marring of the ware, which had apparently been unavoidable'with mechanism of the same general character, but in which no expansion room was provided adjacent the dam 21.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a leer feeder, the combination with a leer having a receiving entrance unobstructed throughout a multiplicity of article diameters and a longitudinally movable carrier therein, a feed carrier supporting and movable beneath the ware and arranged to deliver t-he ware in a stream transversely of the leer carrier, the pieces of ware being irregularly spaced on said feed carrier, intermittently acting means for transverselyV projecting accumulated ware from the feed carrier substantially in the line of movement of the leer carrier into the leer receiving entrance and into engagement with the ware immediately preceding it in the entrance of the leer to force said ware forward, of a dam projecting across the feed carrier in position to interrupt the ilow of articles upon said feed carrier arranged at a substantial distance in advance of the far side of the leer carrier, and a laterally divergent guide extending from said dam forwardly'and outwardly toward the far side of the leer carrier to permit the articles of ware in the leer entrance to shift about on one another, to properly space themselves as they are crowded forward by those introduced in the entrance from the feed carrler.

2. In a leer feeder, the combination with a leer having a receiving entrance unobstructed throughout a multiplicity of article diameters and a longitudinally movable carrier therein, a feed carrier sup rting and movable beneath the ware andO arranged to deliver the ware in a stream transversely of the leer carrier, the pieces of ware being irregularly spaced on said feed carrier, intermittently acting means for transversely projecting accumulated ware f rom the feed carrier substantially in the lmeof the movement of the leer carrier into the leer receiving entrance and into engagement with the ware immediately preceding it in the entrance of the leer to force said ware forward, of a dam projected across the feed carrier in position to interrupt the flow of articles upon said carrier, said dam` being arranged at a substantial distance in advance of the far side of the leer carrier to permit the articles of ware as they move into the leer entrance to shift themselves about one another to properly space themselves as they are crowded forward by'those Y introduced in the entrance from thefeed carrier.

3. In a leer feeder, the combination with a I ware immediately preceding it in the entrance of the leer to force said ware forward,

ofa dam arranged in position to interruptv the iow of articles upon said feed carrier at a point a substantial, distance from the far side of the leer carrier as they arrive by the feed carrier, said dam being arrangedto initially guide the congested ware toward the leer carrier along a line a substantial distance from the far side of the leer carrier, and a laterally divergent guide connected with the forward end of said dam and leading in an outwardly divergent direction toward the far side of the leer carrier to permit the articles of ware in the leer entrance to shift on one another to properly space themselves as they are crowded forward by those introduced inthe entrance from the feed' carrier.

4. In a leer feeder, the combination with .a leer having a receiving entrance unobstructed throughout a multiplicity of article diameters and a longitudinally movable carrier therein, a feed carrier supporting and movable beneath the ware and arranged to deliver the ware in a stream transversely of the leer carrier, the articles of ware being irregularly spaced on said feed carrier, rintermittently acting means for transversely projecting accumulated ware from said feed carrier substantially in the line of movement of the leer carrier into the leer receiving entrance and into engagement with the ware immediately preceding it in the'entrance o f the leer to force said ware forward, of a dam arranged in position to interrupt the flow of articles upon said feed carrier at 'a point a substantial distance mea from the far side of the leer carrier as they arrive by the feed carrier, said dam being arranged to initially guide the congested Ware toward the leer carrier along a line a substantial distance from the far side of the leer carrier to permit the articles of ware in the leer entrance to shift about on one another to properly space themselves as they are crowded forward by those introduced in the entrance from the feed carrier.

5. ln a leer feeder, the combination with a leer and its longitudinally movable carrier, of a feed carrier supporting and movable beneath the Ware and arranged to deliver the Ware in a streamtransversely of the leer carrier, intermittently acting means for transversely projecting the accumulated Ware from the feed carrier substantially in the line of movement of the leer carrier, means for intermittently interrupting the flow of articles to a position in alignment with `the leer carrier, and a dam projected across the feed carrier in a position to interrupt the flow of articles upon the feed carrier, said dam being arranged a distance equal to a multiplicity of diame- ,eac

ters of the articles in advance of the far side of the leer carrier.

:6. ln a leer feeder, the combination with a leer and its longitudinally movableercarrier, of a feed carrier supporting and movable beneath the ware and arranged to deliver the Ware in a stream transversely of the leer carrier, intermittently acting means for transversely projecting the accumulated Ware from the feed carrier substantially in. the line of movement of the leer carrier, means for intermittently interrupting the flow of articles tc a position in alignment' with the leer carrier, and a dam lprojected across the feed carrier in a position to interrupt the iovv of articles upon said feed carrier, said dam being arranged in advance of the far side of the leer carrier a distance equal the distance the feed carrier will travel during a complete cycle of movement of the intermittently actingy means.

In Witness Whereof, l lhave hereunto set my hand at Terre Haute, Indiana, this 30th. day of July, A. D. one thousand nine hundred and twenty.

BENJAMN H., PURCELL. 

